• Top 10 Video Game Heroes of All Time

  

  Written by Zeromage 61 Comments
  Last Updated:: April 13, 2008

  Remember the first time you played Zelda 1 and realized that you wanted to be the green clad hero that was walking about the flat screen? Remember the first time you loved a game because you wanted to be the protagonist with all their abilities that you would never have in real life? Old-Wizard remembers all of these moments as we constantly reflect on what our favorite video games are, and in this case, who are favourite video game heroes are. If this list seems retro in its choices, its not without reason, as games within the newer market fail to focus on the personal qualities embodied by one figure trying to save the world. This sense of grandeur and intrepidness led to some of the most memorable characters in the video gamer’s life. Protagonists in novels that the video gamer would read at school would always pale in comparison to the 8-bit characters they always had full control over. The characters in a video game always had much more nobler tasks than modernity’s insistence for leveling out heroism to anyone who feels entitled to their pride. The heroes on our list were always on the most aggrandized of adventures battling only the most nefarious of antagonists. Nowhere was their repose when faced with doom on a universal level. To these dreams of large adventures and magnanimous characteristics we owe the protagonists on this list. The video game world would be nothing without them.

  10. Donkey Kong

  It was a big event when Donkey Kong went from Antagonist to Protagonist. No more was Donkey Kong enslaving the lascivious princess (this became the work of Bowser). Donkey Kong would change his ways and become one of the most highly regarded heroes for the Super Nintendo system. Donkey Kong Country is where we first experienced his heroic ways as he beguiled the gamer into obsessive game playing. DKC is where we witness Donkey Kong emulating the bravery of all the great video game heroes as he traversed the coldest of icy climates and fought the most carping of island antagonists. Donkey Kong’s main power was much akin to Mario as he could jump on the less fortunate landlocked animals and spill them off your screen. Donkey Kong could of course also pick up barrels and throw them down steep hills destroying numerous enemies at one time. While always slightly slow physically and mentally, he was never without mettle and bravery. To be able to withstand all the elements of his autochthonous island would surely lead to a new found respect in the gamers eyes for Donkey Kong. He would continue his winning ways in a second installment of DK Country and a N64 version of the same type of game play. He would always appear goofy, slightly aloof, and always dumbfounded. Listen to his chatter in the Mario Kart series and one will understand his being circumscribed to a much more primitive psychology. It’s these primitive characteristics though that make us love him as one of the greatest heroes in video games history. Whenever we hear him angry, or we laugh at his over-dramatic puerility. Whenever we play Donkey Kong Country, we enjoy his character as much as any character before or after.

  9. Little Mac

  Little Mac is the hero of Mike Tysons Punchout!, as he is the only player you can use, making him the supreme superhero by default. The opponents he had to face made for a daunting journey through the boxing world. A drunk Russian, a bald bull, and a magic turban Indian were just some of the opponents in the amiable Mac’s way as he arduously traversed the minor and major circuits in search of the grand prize, the world championship belt. On his way towards the prize, Little Mac got little help from his from his mentor/coach “Doc”. Doc would sit there smiley faced while Little Mac was getting pounded. Even at Mac’s corner during a tough fight, Doc would be acting as if Little Mac had nothing to worry about. Maybe that was Doc’s largess to Mac after all. After Little Mac’s first foray into the boxing world with Doc, he would have to go through another line of prize champion fighters in Super Punchout! with even more diverse and powerful opponents. Little Mac developed his skills and strength and took down the best in the world circuit from the surreptitious Masked Muscle to the frighteningly flegmatic Nick Bruiser. All opponents throughout the Punchout! Series were conspicuously larger and scarier than Little Mac making for a true Rock Balboa theme throughout these games. Never do we see Mac celebrating wins with after-match hedonism. Never do we see Mac taking his latest celebrity girlfriend to the ringside in hopes of impressing anyone besides his own self. He is as selfless as he is optimistic before a match. The small and selfless quality of Little Mac makes him a hero of superlative rank for the video game medium.

  8. Crono

  Crono of “Chrono Trigger” fits our love for the silent protagonist perfectly. In a world where everyone is out to prove their own worth and glory, Crono is out to fulfill his duty reticently with inordinate sedulity. Crono would be a time traveling warrior worthy of his name as he traveled to the most distant of pasts and futures, even to the end of time! Don’t let his childish appearance and coquettish long hair fool you. He packed the power of sword (Katana to be exactly accurate) as strongly as any video game character who ever wielded this most conspicuous of video game weapons. If you combined his powerful sword techniques with one of his many accomplices, you would witness one of the most devastating sword attacks in the history of its use, even beyond the video game world. Beyond his technical abilities and worthiness in tacit disposition, Crono would prove his heroism in the overwhelmingly powerful enemies that he would have to face. He had to battle the swift sift of Magus, the variegated difficult enemies of the Ocean Palace, and the massive beast in the name of Lavos who would prove to be one of the most difficult final enemies in all of video gamedom. Crono though was not cajoled by any warnings of danger nor any feelings of fear. Crono wanted to save his friends and save the world he lived in with the friends he saved. One need only witness his sacrifice for his friends in the Ocean Palace to realize the character of this memorable protagonist. There are many RPG heroes we could of choose from when choosing to include one in this list. Crono though stood out for his abiding altruism and magnanimity to those he encountered throughout his journey.

  7. Qbert

  Qbert is certainly the strangest protagonists on this list and probably in all of the video game world. Why would a simple task of jumping from block to block require a being with a large snout and a massive head? Couldn’t a simple stick figure do the simple task that was Qbert’s legacy? The simple answer is “No”. Qbert added big time to a game that could become boring quickly without his quirky design and peculiar profanity expressed when hit by an enemy. All we see from his profane moments is symbols signifying his absolute outrage on not being able to hop on different coloured platforms. How could such a Disney like character be endowed with a dirty mouth? Qbert hit at the reality of life beyond the video game world where we all have tasks that we have trouble completing and sometimes want to scream “@!#?@!” at the other person who’s in our way trying to stop us from doing what we need to do. It was an event when the video gamer was able to identify with their protagonist in being curtailed from their victories and ambitions. It was certainly paradoxical when the protagonist they were identifying with most was an orange circle with an elephant nose though. Regardless of this paradox, Qbert would fill the gamer with a sense of felicity and relief. Qbert’s popularity would skyrocket with the emergence of his own cartoon show, action figure, lunchbox, and even sleeping bags! Qbert would try to regain his massive popularity from the early 80’s in the techno-themed 90’s but would fail when his reemergence was embodied in less than stellar games. For the gamer who wants to visit the roots of his obsession though, there is no better place to start than with Qbert, who signified one of the first video game characters to ever be loved beyond the video game itself.

  6. Mega Man

  The Blue Bomber may have appeared to be a wimp based on the poorly illustrated front covers of Mega Man 1 and 2, but when one entered into these games, they were taken back to the proton power of this average sized robot. Mega Man would traverse the most rococo of elemental stages fighting bot bats, massive pit falls, and enormous bosses all by himself. His auxiliary accomplices (E.G. Rush) would do nothing to take away the singular glory of Mega Man, as these accomplices usually appeared too placid to show any sense of valor and focus. Mega Man had one singular mission throughout the Mega Man series: stop the evil Dr. Wily from taking over the world with his ingenious creations. Mega Man not only had to rid the world of Dr. Wily once, but 8 times! Move into the future a couple thousand of years and Mega Man would have to stop Sigma the same way 6 times! That’s a total of at least 14 times that Mega Man had to save the world. This is certainly a lot of weight on one robot’s shoulders. Mega Man though, always faced the future with fearlessness knowing that his work in the world was guided by one single imperative. This imperative was never worn on his sleeve to the public eye nor ever for the sake of any kind of capitol. Mega Man did was he had to do, because it was what he did. Obviously, we can learn a lot from Mega Man on how to be better human beings asking for less and doing more for the sake of no prize. This selflessness embodied in Mega Man’s constant work in saving the world puts him at the upper echelons of video game herodom.

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61 Comments

1. #1 WTF says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 5:02 pm

   where is CRASH BANDICOOT he was one of the best but now he is forgotten and master cheif, snake, sonic, i mean come on what list is this
2. #2 No, just No says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 12:42 pm

   When was this list made? You never touched Metroid Fusion, have you? And all this condescending chatter about the heroes. Donkey Kong is dumb, that’s why we love him? I like him because he’s the star of one of my favorite games, Donkey Kong Country! Are you trying to dog the characters or praise them? Make up your mind. They may be some of the memorable heroes but apparantly, you hate them. Be honest with your list, next time and get your facts straight.
3. #3 Ghost says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 8:37 pm

   I’m with Wtf on this one it seems to me whoever made this list is a big nintendo fan
4. #4 Psychotron says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 6:13 pm

   Umm no, that’s a list of some classic, memorable and iconic heroes, not your the generic casual crap everyone seems to be eating up today. No one gives a shit about Master Chief or Crash Bandicoot, but I do agree at the very least, Sonic should’ve been on that list. Snake…he lost his appeal after the original MGS…you know, when the series turned into a glorified cavalcade of innuendo, cleavage shots and groping.
5. #5 Elaine says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 8:26 pm

   Where the F is Sonic the Hedgehog? Not to mention Crash Bandicoot. And Spyro (I think that’s his name)!

   I haven’t played Crash too much, I just remember it being one of those games at the dentist that I couldn’t even jump on. But I know that I liked it.

   Same with Spyro the Dragon, if I remember the name right.

   And here comes Sonic.

   I AM OBSESSED WITH SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. There’s nothing else to be said. You leave him out, I will curse you for the rest of your fricking lives.
   Sonic has awesome powers, an awesome attitude, awesome looks, and is an awesome character.

   I’m not retarted. I mean the NEW Sonic stuff, not the old things where they all look like they have cancer.

   So, as you can see, put them on or you will regret it.
6. #6 casey says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 12:03 pm

   what,sonic is in the list,what are you talking about
   ,I mean mario can’t do anything more than jump,
   sonic can be super sonic,one of strongest character of all time
7. #7 Mateen Ahmed says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 7:46 pm

   Are you serious? This list isn’t even accurate. Where are all the good heroes who deserve to be here?